


Dazai's Moving Castle

by MuchoMusho, SakuraBuzzLover87 (Sakura_Buzz_Lover_87)



Category: Howl no Ugoku Shiro | Howl's Moving Castle, 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs
Genre: Aged-down Atsushi, Aged-up Kyouka, Akutagawa is a grumpy sassy fire boi, BLONDE DAZAI!! just for a lil bit, Baker's Assistant!Kenji, Calcifer!Akutagawa, Chuu cusses a lot as usual oops, Dazai AS HOWL IS GOALLSSS #dramaqueen, Fluff and Humor, Ghibli AU, Howl!Dazai, Imouto Baker!Kyouka, M/M, Magic, Michael!Atsushi, Prince/Turnip Head!Tachihara, Romance, Sophie!Chuuya, WE HAVE ARTWORK!, WitchOfTheWaste!Yosano, a LOT of changes/liberties taken with the story itself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25987513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuchoMusho/pseuds/MuchoMusho, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakura_Buzz_Lover_87/pseuds/SakuraBuzzLover87
Summary: Nakahara Chuuya is an ordinary seamster working in his mother’s hat shop. One fateful day on his way to visit his sister Kyouka, he’s rescued from some unsavory personalities by a handsome yet insufferable magician, Dazai Osamu, who offers to teach him how to control his powers if Chuuya promises to be his “dog.”A Howl’s Moving Castle AU with added twists and artwork!
Relationships: Akutagawa Ryuunosuke/Nakajima Atsushi (Bungou Stray Dogs), Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs), Nakahara Chuuya & Tachihara Michizou (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 69





	1. The Mysterious Magician

**Author's Note:**

> After WEEKS and us literally talking about nothing else LMAO, we are SOOO HAPPY to announce this project!! 
> 
> Back at it with another collab fic! This time is on a classic Ghibli film we hope you love as much as we do. I (buzz) did most of the writing and my lovely co-author Musho did the A M A Z I N G artwork!! We hope you enjoy and let us know what you think in the comments below!! :)

Shrouded in mist contrasting the bright sunny day, a haphazard amalgamation of smaller houses, random pieces of wood and metal, and a chimney wrapping around the side spewing dark gray smoke trudges forward on metal chicken legs, creaking and groaning as it maneuvers up a grass slope— a makeshift moving “castle.” 

In a large, bustling town overlooked by the grass mountains surrounding the castle, a young auburn-haired man is perched on a stool at a counter in a small hat stop, legs crossed and bathed in the yellow light of a lamp as he methodically sews the rim of a green hat. Embroidery may seem an odd talent for a male, but he’s been raised to help with his mother’s business, and his nimble fingers stitch efficiently and skillfully. 

There’s a knock on the open wooden door. “Chuuya?” Kouyou asks. “Are you almost done? You’ve done enough today. We’re heading out now so you should as well.” He hears the other female shop assistants giggling in the background as they prepare to leave for the parade in the marketplace. 

Chuuya stops his sewing and looks up, turning to face her. “Nearly, Mother, but you should leave without me. I’ll close up the shop.” 

“Suit yourself but don’t stay too late now,” Kouyou advises. She opens her mouth to continue but one of the girls suddenly calls out, “Look, look, it’s Dazai’s moving castle!” All the girls rush to the window. “Do you think he can see us?” 

Chuuya looks out his own window, barely catching a glimpse of the enormous castle just coming into view, enveloped by mist as always, before it again disappears out of sight. 

“Aww, we only got to see it for a few seconds,” a girl complains. 

“No use worrying about it. Now, now, girls, it’s time to leave,” Kouyou chides. “Chuuya, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Kouyou. Safe travels.” 

Kouyou and the chattering girls exit the shop and the door closes behind them. 

Chuuya picks up the hat and keeps sewing, head bent as he diligently continues. It takes him just a few minutes longer but he completes the row he was working on and brings the hat up closer to his face to inspect his handiwork. Nodding satisfactorily, he tosses the hat on a pile of already completed ones and pushes the stool out. 

He grabs his own hat, brown with a red ribbon sash, and places it on his head as he goes downstairs and glances around to make sure the shop is neat and organized. Before leaving, he checks his reflection in the mirror.

He may not be wearing the fanciest clothes, but he’s confident in his appearance regardless. He adjusts his hat once more as he poses in front of the mirror, smiling brightly and making different expressions, raising his eyebrows high before ultimately shoving his hat as far down as it can go. He’ll probably be better off trying to avoid attention. 

He closes the shop door, the bell over the door tinkling, and heads out, boarding a trolley car a few blocks down. It's packed, so he barely manages to hang off the last step of the trolley before it chugs forward. He ignores the crowd, letting his mind wander idly as he observes the commotion of the busy town. 

Once he’s reached the station a few blocks down, he disembarks and pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket, looking at the address written. To get there, he has to leave the main road and enter a small alleyway, but much to his dismay once he’s about halfway down there’s a blond-haired man with blue overalls** and a brown beret leaning with one elbow against the wall waiting for him, eyes analyzing him as if he were prey.

“Well, well, if it isn’t a little lost puppy,” the man sneers as he pushes himself off the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’m not lost. Now get out of my way,” Chuuya snarls. He knows he’s on the smaller side with relatively attractive features but he thought the town was peaceful enough that he wouldn’t get mugged. He feels his fingers start tingling- if the man doesn’t move, things could get ugly. 

“Why don’t you come with us and we’ll get some tea? We can help you out.” A tall bony man with long stringy blue hair** walks around the overall man, sleepy eyes focusing on Chuuya. 

“No thanks, my sister’s expecting me. I’ll be leaving now.” The semblance of politeness is rapidly fading from Chuuya's tone, the tips of his ears starting to burn red. His instincts warn him to step back, but he refuses to appear weak before these goons. 

“How old are you anyway, little puppy? Do you live around here?” The blond man leans in, smirking. 

“Leave me alone!” Chuuya finally does take a step back, but gives them the best glare he can manage, holding an arm defensively in front of him. Like hell is he letting anyone intimidate him this easily. He feels a familiar tightening in his stomach as the air around him starts vibrating and the rocks underneath his feet float upwards. 

“Aww, look, the puppy is _mad_. How _cuuute_ ,” the first soldier drawls, and this is enough to send Chuuya over the edge. Chuuya cracks his neck as he rolls it side to side and digs his nails into his palms, crumpling the paper, bracing his feet against the ground. If it’s a fight they want, that’s what they’ll get. 

He feels his vision start to blur red, rage surging in his veins, and for the first time, he loses the tenuous control he has over his power. The air pressure intensifies and the ground beneath Chuuya’s feet begins to rumble. The few times he’s accessed his powers usually gives strength and confidence, but as he’s never understood how to control it, this time he’s _scared_ of his own powers. Fear crawls up from Chuuya’s stomach and his vision is slowly tunneling when-

A firm hand on his shoulder dissipates the rage and his powers fade, leaving an odd sense of calm in its place. “So _there_ you are, _sweetheart_. I’ve been looking _everywhere_ for you.” He looks up to see it’s a man much taller than him with chin-length blonde hair shining like spun gold in the bright sunshine that’s a shade lighter than that of the man in overalls, a black coat draped loosely over his shoulders, bandages wrapped high up his neck. Chuuya grudgingly admits the man is ridiculously attractive, especially from this angle with his high angular cheekbones. 

_“Huh_?” Chuuya questions bewilderingly. 

The grip on his shoulder tightens. “I’m truly sorry, gentlemen, for the _trouble_ that my young...apprentice here has caused. I’ll take it from here,” the man reassures. 

“Hey, we were only just talking to him,” the blond overall man complains. 

“Is that so? Seemed to me you were leaving.” The man lifts a finger and twirls it around and the men in front of Dazai find themselves standing at attention and walking in the opposite direction away from Chuuya. 

“W-wait!” The overall man whines, but in a few wide steps they’ve marched far down the alleyway. 

“Are you all right, little one? I thought you could use some help,” the blond-haired man tilts his head down in Chuuya’s direction, amber eyes dancing with mirth, a smirk plastered on his face. 

Chuuya lifts a hand to brush the blond’s off of his shoulder. “I had it under control,” he mutters. 

“I’m not so sure about that. I came here because I sensed an enormous amount of magical energy about to be released, which would have dissipated your physical form so I...canceled it. Now take my elbow and act normal.” The smirk grows larger.

“I’m sorry, _what_?” This man continues to get stranger and stranger the longer Chuuya’s around him. He _sensed_ Chuuya’s “magical energy,” _canceled_ it, whatever that may mean, and now has the _audacity_ to ask him to “take his elbow.” 

“I’ll explain later. Sorry, but it looks like I’ve been followed so take my elbow unless you want to end up dead in this alleyway. Not that I would mind dying together, but this isn’t my preferred method. Now come. I’ll take you where you need to go.” 

It doesn’t look like Chuuya has much choice so he warily accepts the offered elbow, wrapping his hand around it. The man presses his arm into his side and walks them forward, slowly at first, but building speed. Behind them, Chuuya hears a squelching, and he peers over his shoulder to see black amorphous shapes with top hats peeling off the walls, more and more of them appearing and filling up the space of the alleyway. 

“What the _fuck_ -” Genuine fear begins pooling in the bottom of his stomach. 

“Just follow my lead. Quick, this way!” The man guides them to the alleyway to the left, leaning forward _just_ so, his heels clacking against the cobblestone ground. 

“Now then, can you fly us out?” The man inquires casually as if he were asking about the weather. The blobs seem to be gaining on them from the louder and louder squelching, but Chuuya’s too afraid to check. Blobs also begin appearing in front of them, hastily advancing forward. 

“F-fly?! I’m just a normal boy!” 

The man chuckles. “You’re sorely mistaken there. Alley oop!” The man wraps an arm around Chuuya’s waist and _leaps_ into the air, Chuuya gasping and in his fear holding tightly to the man’s side as the blobs coming from both directions run into each other just a second after they’re airborne. 

Chuuya instinctively folds his legs under him, and the man chuckles as they ascend higher and higher until they’re around ten feet above the town. 

“Now straighten your legs and start walking,” the man requests. Chuuya hesitatingly complies, slowly lowering them, his breath stuttering in awe as he chooses to trust the man, at least for now. The man removes his hand, supporting Chuuya’s elbow as he holds Chuuya’s arm out, then slides his hand forward to take Chuuya’s into his own, letting his fingers wrap around Chuuya’s clasped hands. 

“That’s it. One foot in front of the other.” Chuuya keeps his eyes trained on his feet, trying not to stare at the ground below as he struggles to calm his heart pounding in his chest. Eventually settling into a synchronized pace with the man’s, he finally allows himself to look up, even enjoying the feeling of quite literally walking through air above the heads of thousands of inhabitants of the city, not one of them noticing their passage. 

“Very nice,” the man comments, and Chuuya gives a small smile. They continue gliding forward, Chuuya appreciating the cool air gently swirling past him. 

All too soon, they reach the building of his address and the man floats them down to the balcony. He lets go of one hand and remains on the other side of the balcony’s railing, suspended in air. 

“We seem to have arrived, _chibi_ , but stay safe and don’t come back out until later. Wait here until the coast is clear. I’ll draw them off--it’s dangerous out there.” 

_“Chibi_? I have a _name_ , you know!” Chuuya retorts.

“Where’s the fun in using that? Anyway, I’ll see you soon... _Chuuya_ ,” the man breathes. He lifts their joined hands to his lips and presses a kiss on the back of Chuuya’s, looking up at him through thick blond lashes.

With a crooked smile he releases Chuuya’s hand and jumps back, maintaining eye contact with Chuuya as he plummets towards the ground, coat billowing. 

Chuuya immediately runs to the edge of the railing but the man has vanished. 

He takes his hat off and runs a hand through his hair. It doesn’t hit him until after the man leaves that not only did he know where Chuuya had to go, but also, Chuuya’s _name._

* * *

BONUS 

So when we were first thinking of the art, both of us forgot Howl/Dazai is supposed to be blonde at this point in the movie. BUT here's the sky scene with smexy brown-haired Dazai!! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** in case this wasn't the most obvious I was trying to make a Steinbeck and Lovecraft reference here. :) 
> 
> Just a short intro piece but we’ll have more coming out soon! We hope you enjoyed it- our hearts really went all out in this one, trust me I (buzz) sent sooo many all caps bold emails to cutie Musho and she put up with it like a pogchamp. Please let us know what you think in the comments below!
> 
> We’re also doing something a little different than usual- if you find you want to create fanart of Dazai as HOWL(!!) or if anything else in this fic has inspired you to draw, we encourage it!! You can find me (@buzzingbee87) or my co-creator cutie Musho @MushoTosh) on Twitter and feel free to tag us with your art- you may even find it featured on our next chapter! (of course we’d be sure to credit ya and prob link it to the original post). Thanks again for reading!


	2. Reaching The Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chuuya decides on a new course of action after getting a visit from an unsavory witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truly sorry for the long wait time in between, we both are in school/working hard to produce the same stellar quality as Chapter 1! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter- we introduce a few more cuties in this one, which is almost the entire cast at this point- and we had a TON of fun with it!! (Be sure to check out our ‘crack corner’ below too heh). Enjoy, and as always, comments and kudos are appreciated!!

Chuuya stares down from the balcony, arms folded over the railing, until he hears a pattering of footsteps against the wooden platform. He looks up and sees his sister, Kyouka, speeding towards him, hands clasped at the white apron overlying her dress. 

_“Chuuya!”_ She reaches him and takes his hands in hers. “How did you make it to the balcony? Did you grow wings?” 

“So that wasn’t a dream. Uh, it’s a little complicated…” Truthfully, he has no idea how to explain his...adventure. 

“Let’s talk in the back. Come.” Kyouka leads him to the storage room for extra sugar and other supplies she uses in her candy shop downstairs. She sits down on one of the large wooden crates, Chuuya taking the one adjacent. 

Chuuya begins recounting the recent events but leaves out him losing control of his powers- no need to unnecessarily worry her. 

“So this blonde man _randomly_ found you? Are you sure he’s not a wizard?” Kyouka’s disbelief is evident on her face, her eyes narrowing. 

“Just a happy coincidence, I guess. I don’t _think_ he is.” He averts his gaze and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, halfheartedly attempting to convince himself as well. No ordinary man should be able to sense ‘magical powers,’ let alone fly through the sky. “But he really helped me out!” he adds quickly. If the man _hadn’t_ been there, who knows what would have happened… 

“Chuuya, you need to be more careful out there. If it were Dazai, he could have kidnapped you or stolen your powers!” Kyouka chides. 

Chuuya shakes his head, thankful she doesn’t press for more details. “Dazai only goes after the hearts of pretty men and women. I’m just an ordinary seamster, so I doubt he’d be interested in me.” 

“Even the Witch of No Return is on the prowl, Chuuya! Chuuya? Are you listening?” Kyouka leans in. 

“Huh?” 

Kyouka sighs. “Geez…” 

One of the smaller boxes slides out and a young boy with short blond hair and gold eyes pops his head through. “Kyouka, the madeleines are done!” 

“Thank you, Kenji, I’ll be right there!” 

“All right!” Kenji slides the box back. 

Chuuya stands up. “I’ll go home now. I’m glad you’re doing well, Kyouka. It was good seeing you again.” She nods and follows him as he walks towards the large wooden doors that lead back out to the street. He opens the door and turns to face her. 

“Chuuya. Are you sure you’re happy working at the shop?” She takes his hands into her own again, her dark blue eyes swirling with concern. 

“I’m fine- I have no other plans at the moment. Besides, it’s what Father would have wanted and as the eldest, I have the responsibility to honor his wishes.” 

Her grip tightens. “I know, but you don’t _have_ to go along with it. Do what makes _you_ happy.” 

He nods. “I’ll think more on it later, but for now I’ll be on my way. Take care, Kyouka.” He gently pulls his hands back and she lets go. After giving her a brief hug, he starts walking away. 

“Look after yourself, okay, Chuuya?” Kyouka calls out. He looks over his shoulder and waves goodbye. 

Lost in thought over yesterday, he boards a trolley car going back to the city. He gets off at the station and walks the few blocks up to the shop. Once he’s inside, he locks the door behind him, heading to the back. 

He takes his hat off, placing it on the wooden table and turns on the lamp with a struck match. Almost immediately, he hears the unmistakable tinkling of the door’s bell and whirls around, alarmed. 

A tall, thin woman clad in a purple dress stands in the shop’s lobby past the closed door with chin-length brown hair and a large lilac butterfly clip pinned to the side. Her arms are crossed over her chest, a purple butterfly delicately perched at the tips of her slender fingers. 

“I’m sorry, ma’am, we’re closed for the night. I could have sworn I locked that door- must have forgotten,” Chuuya remarks, the last part half to himself. 

The beautiful woman saunters forward. “What a tacky little shop,” she sneers as she looks around, seemingly ignoring Chuuya. “I’ve never seen such tacky little hats, yet you’re by _far_ the tackiest thing here.” A challenge rises from the depths of her violet eyes as she meets his gaze, and he feels his fingers start tingling again. 

However, the last thing he needs is for the man to show up again. He takes a deep breath. 

“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave now,” he says in the most level tone he can muster. He trudges across the room and throws open the door. 

“The door’s over here, ma’am. We’re _closed_ ,” he reiterates, his tone offering no room for argument. 

“Standing up to the Witch of No Return. That’s plucky.” Her eyes glitter dangerously and Chuuya feels a shudder run up his spine. The last thing he needs, however, is to show weakness before this...unsavory person, so he steels his resolve. 

“Good night, _ma’am_ ,” he says, more insistently. 

“Your little... _encounter_ this afternoon with my _darling_ minions was just the beginning, Chuuya,” the woman snarls as she walks towards the door. “Take care and give my regards to Dazai.” 

Her heels clack against the steps as she ambles down towards a small rectangular carriage at the base. She enters it and two blobbed men dressed in fine attire pick up the carriage, scurrying off into the night. 

Good riddance. Chuuya closes the door, making sure to double check he’s locked it _properly_ this time and heads upstairs to rest. 

* * *

The following morning, there’s a loud commotion as Kouyou returns as she does every Thursday morning from Kyouka’s bakery with fresh pastries, creamy and warm. The girls squeal with joy over the welcome change from their regular breakfast monotony of bread and jam. 

He’s tired of fighting for the pastries, especially after the encounter he had last night, so he ponders his next move. 

If The Witch of No Return is keeping an eye on him, he may need Dazai’s help to seek out the mysterious magician and gain more control over his powers. 

He sits up, rubbing sleepily at his eye and yawning. He may as well leave now before his sisters realize he’s missing. 

Yanking the covers off, he gets up and heads to the bathroom to wash his face, taking a moment to stare down his reflection in the mirror. “You can _do_ this, Nakahara Chuuya,” he says softly to himself. He changes his outfit, puts a red shawl around his shoulders, and grabs his hat, setting it firmly on his head. 

Sneaking downstairs into the kitchen, he steals some bread and cheese, knotting the top of a piece of orange cloth he finds on the counter and throws the bundle over his shoulder. He quietly closes the side door, walks onto the balcony, and climbs down the wooden staircase to the cobblestone road below. 

“The prince seems to have gone missing! No one knows where he is!” Chuuya pays the gossip no heed- at this point, it’s more important to find Dazai.

He walks down the path, following it out of the town and up a somewhat steep grass slope. 

He breaks for lunch when the sun’s halfway up the sky, finding a flat rock to sit on*. Munching on his sandwich, he enjoys the view of the town from his vantage point. 

Once he finishes eating, he brushes the crumbs from his hands and stands up, folding the orange cloth and shoving it in his pocket. He continues his way up the slope when he almost trips. 

“Huh? What the hell?” He looks down and sees his foot caught on a large stick overlaid on the stone path. He nudges the stick with his toe but there’s a surprising resistance. Scrunching his nose, he looks for the stick’s other end and realizes the top half is hidden underneath a bush on the side of the path. 

“Weird…” he mutters. He picks up the stick but there’s even _more_ resistance. His tenacity flaring, he grunts and keeps yanking the stick up until it finally breaks free. A peculiarly-dressed scarecrow pops up on the other end- no wonder it was difficult to extract. The brown-haired scarecrow has a white face with a wide grin, a band-aid on its nose, and a green jacket with cream trim. 

Chuuya’s startled by its appearance and immediately lets go, but the scarecrow remains upright. 

“The fuck?! You’re just a stupid scarecrow! How are you standing on your own?” 

The scarecrow obviously doesn’t respond back, but Chuuya swears it’s shrugging. 

“And what kind of scarecrow has a fucking _turnip_ for a head and a band-aid on its nose to boot?! I HATE turnips! Gah, whatever, be grateful you’re not stuck in the bush anymore. See ya, Turnip Head.” Chuuya turns around and continues walking up. 

Head bent down, he clutches at his shawl, bracing himself against the turbulent winds- the higher he goes, the more the temperature seems to drop. “Brr, it’s too cold.” He looks over his shoulder. “And I can still see the town. God damn it, so much further still to go. Wait, what the fuck?!” 

Bounding up the path is none other than the scarecrow.

Chuuya groans. “Nope nope, no need to follow me! Go away, please, I don’t feel like dealing with more magical headaches after yesterday. Just find a random field to stand in!” 

He turns around and keeps walking but before long the scarecrow is at his side. 

“Are you _that_ lonely or desperate for friends that you have nowhere else to be? Ugh, fine, just take me to Dazai’s castle... _if_ you can actually find it.” 

The scarecrow bounds forward, Chuuya chuckling as he watches it go. The castle could be anywhere on the slopes- it’ll probably take some time.

After a few more minutes, he _finally_ reaches the plateau. He’s grateful for the flat ground and takes a second to look out at the town. At this height he’s definitely feeling the bitter cold more strongly, but it’s truly a beautiful view. 

He _hears_ the castle before he sees it, an unmistakable creaking and groaning. Startled, his eyes widen as he turns towards it, the castle advancing at a surprising speed. The scarecrow bounces just in front of it, but upon seeing Chuuya it bounces towards faster, looping around him until it’s standing next to him. 

“Damn, Turnip Head, that’s Dazai’s fucking castle all right. How did you even-” He doesn’t get any further before the castle is above both of them and for one terrifying moment, Chuuya thinks it will settle on top of them as the metal legs bend, inching the rickety wooden platform closer and closer towards them. He doesn’t have enough control over his powers to even _consider_ trying to move this _enormous_ structure and stands frozen, gazing upward with an equal combination of awe and fear. 

Chuuya holds his breath as the platform stops just a foot above his face. 

Smoke hisses as if the castle is releasing a slow breath and the legs straighten. It continues walking forward and Chuuya watches it go, mouth slightly ajar as his heart resets- being squished by an enormous castle is _not_ on _his_ list of “preferred ways to die,” to borrow the mysterious blonde’s expression. 

Turnip Head bounces towards the house, turning around once it reaches the wooden door with a porch light and a small platform in front of it with metal railings on the sides. 

“You found a way in-how impressive. Guess I’ll add trespassing to my list of sins. Thanks, Turnip Head.” The house picks up speed but shaking himself from his stupor, he has no difficulty catching up and grabbing onto the railings. 

Unfortunately, the sudden gust of wind that blows past him loosens his scarf from his neck, sweeping it away in the breeze. 

“Aw, shit,” Chuuya whines, watching over his shoulder as it goes past him, but Turnip Head immediately chases after it like an overenthusiastic puppy. How oddly endearing. 

He slowly opens the door. There’s a wooden staircase leading to a room bathed in a whitish glow. Hesitating before entering, he hears a familiar pattering behind him. He turns around to see Turnip Head’s returned with his scarf dangling from one of its arms. 

“Thanks, bud.” Chuuya takes the scarf from him. This scarecrow is turning out to be more useful than he’d have thought. “I’m going in now to see if I can find Dazai. See you around, Turnip Head.” With a wave, Chuuya ascends the first step and closes the door behind him. 

He walks up the staircase gingerly, taking care his footsteps don’t echo loudly in the stillness. Once he’s assessed the coast looks clear, he enters the foyer, immediately going for the fireplace to warm himself. 

Instead of an ordinary orange fire, however, this fire is black with white trim, two red ninja soldiers at its sides.

It looks rather small, so Chuuya finds some firewood on the ground next to the fireplace and tosses it in. 

He sits on the wooden chair that’s conveniently in front of the fire and props his feet up on the brick furnace, looking around at the room. “Wow, what a shithole. This is supposed to be a castle?” he remarks flippantly. Books are shoved haphazardly into numerous bookcases, stacked piles of papers litter every corner of the room, and small trinkets cover every available surface. He’s pretty sure he can see a fine layer of dust covering most of the objects and some cobwebs if he squints. 

He turns his attention back to the fire and is startled by two silver eyes appearing as the fire sprouts two arms, resting them over a log. But nothing surprises him more than when it starts _talking_. 

“How the fuck did you find us?” the fire growls. “You think you can just _waltz_ in here like you own the place?” 

Chuuya looks around. There’s nothing in his vicinity that looks remotely alive other than him. “Are you talking to _me_?” he questions.

“No, I’m talking to the chandelier above your head,” the fire deadpans. “Of course I’m talking to you, dumbass.” 

“Well, _excuse_ me for being shocked at a talking fire. You should be grateful- _I’m_ the one who refilled the logs in your furnace,” Chuuya snaps.

“I didn’t _ask_ you to do that, but thanks, I guess. This is Dazai’s castle. Is a talking fire really the weirdest thing you think you’ll find here?” 

“Do you even have a _name_?” Chuuya retorts. 

“Akutagawa, the _extremely_ powerful fire demon,” the fire preens. “What’s yours, _chibi_?” 

“Chuuya. You dare call me _chibi_? You’re a fucking _fire_ \- I just need one bucket of water and you’re a goner!” 

Akutagawa seems genuinely alarmed, panic blatant in his silver eyes. “No, please, _anything_ but that. I’ll die! Please, please, no water. I’ll be nice, I promise!” 

Chuuya feels slightly guilty for Akutagawa’s distress--even as a joke, cruelty isn’t his style. 

“Then will you stop calling me _chibi_?” However, his years at the shop has made him a shrewd bargainer. 

“Yes, yes, of course,” Akutagawa begs. “Please.” 

“Glad that’s settled. So how’d you end up here?” Chuuya rests an elbow on his knee, his chin on his hand. 

“Do you really think a fire demon like _me_ would stay here willingly? Dazai put this spell on me and I’m stuck here as basically his slave through our contract,” Akutagawa complains. “He makes me do all of these shitty chores- keeping the rooms warm, the water hot for his unnecessarily long baths, even moving this damn castle! You know what, actually, that gives me an idea. I’ll make a deal with you.” 

“Hmm?” Chuuya tilts his head thoughtfully. A deal with a fire demon… “What kind of deal?” 

“If you can break the contract I have with Dazai, then I’ll...I’ll...I’ll owe you one! In the future!” Akutagawa seems quite proud of his idea, folding his arms and smirking.

“‘Owe you one’...how wonderfully vague,” Chuuya rolls his eyes. 

“Making a deal with a fire demon like me is a _big_ deal!” Akutagawa protests. Many people would _kill_ for the chance!” 

“Whatever, fine, sure, I guess,” Chuuya mutters. He does his best to keep his eyes from fluttering shut but he’d been walking for a while and the warmth emanating from Akutagawa’s fire feels quite pleasant. “Hey, hey, Chuuya!” he hears faintly but he’s too exhausted to bother responding. 

He closes them fully and gives himself to the growing darkness. 

* * *

****CRACK CORNER****

*so when I (buzz) was first writing this out, I accidentally wrote "shit on." Both of us have the humor sense of a five-year-old so dear Musho created a crack sketch of bby Chuu taking a dump. Enjoy. 

We would also like to take this opportunity to introduce ANOTHER product of our crackhead brains- Bug Chuu!! This was born from our previous chapter and us two furiously trying to upload this at like 2/3 AM- LORD the adrenaline rush that we had I doubt we'll ever experience again in our lives. But anyways, here he is!! :))


End file.
